Abstract: A system and method of component procurement efficiently provides a centralized location for storing and retrieving component data. The engineering method is for procuring a manufactured component through a plurality of development stages. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a database for storing information related to procuring the manufactured component, sharing the database among a plurality of relevant parties such as a manufacturer and a supplier and inputting data into the database by at least one of the relevant parties during a development stage of the manufactured component. The method also includes modifying the database at each development stage if necessary. The database holds data related to procurement of components for a computer system and is accessible to a manufacturer and at least one outside vendor. The database includes a pointer for locating data related to at least one of the development stages.

Abstract: A system and method for parallelizing applications of script-driven software tools. Scripts in the software tool scripting language are automatically analyzed in order to produce a specification for a parallel computation plus a set of “script fragments”, the combination of which is functionally equivalent to the original script. The computational specification plus the script fragments are then executed by a parallel runtime system, which causes multiple instances of the original software tool and/or supplemental programs to be run as parallel processes. The resulting processes will read input data and produce output data, performing the same computation as was specified by the original script.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating the development and management of web sites. A web page generator includes applications for controlling web page operations or semantics and a plurality of templates for controlling the appearance of a web page. A templates manager object establishes Template Set Objects and Template Objects for each application on a dynamic basis. Applications use this dynamic hierarchy to identify specific templates for use, even templates in the same or different applications with the same name.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for optimizing information-retrieval related system performance based on users' communication relationships. Users' interactions and relationships with each other are tracked by a ‘relationship analyzer’ that queries multiple heterogeneous information sources, such as e-mail logs, organization charts, calendar entries, phone logs, etc. A data structure is created for each user reflecting the intensity of communication relationship with other users, and modified over time as the data in the information sources change. A relationship group is defined based on the data structure and preference or importance ratings for each type of communication relationship that includes each user's group of highest-priority other users. A derived relationship group may also be defined based on high-priority users of a user's highest-intensity relationships.

Abstract: An access control system and its method that can prevent access to read or write into a file, no matter what user right the access request source uses to attempt an unauthorized access. This invention uses a policy that access to a specific file is authorized only when it is made by a specific user using a specific program. In addition, the policy is registered in a policy file 200 and the access information hooked by a file I/O hook program 106 is transmitted through an inter-OS communication processor 108 to an access control program 110 for a security OS 104 in order to perform access control according to said policy.

Abstract: An internet and/or intranet based database search system and method for conducting searches of highly confidential records such as individual patient medical records and to automate the process of securing required approvals to make such records available to a properly authorized and authenticated requesting party. The system's central premise is that the patient has a fundamental right to the confidentiality of their personal medical records and should control that right through specific, informed consent each time that a party requests to receive them. It reinforces the widely held conception of privacy in general as well as of the sanctity of the doctor/patient relationship by granting the doctor the right, subject to the patient's express permission, to initiate a search request.

Abstract: A centralized synchronization system synchronizes data stored in multiple devices distributed over a relatively unreliable network, to provide automatic recovery from synchronization failures. The synchronization system maintains a truth database indicating the true state of the data and action tables indicating actions to be performed on each of the devices during a next update of the data. Data is retrieved from the devices over the network, and actual states of the data are determined from the action tables and the retrieved data. The truth database and action tables are updated accordingly. An effective action table is then generated to account for any of the devices which were offline during the most-recent synchronization. The truth database and effective action tables are saved to a central database in an atomic transaction. The effective action tables are then used to update the data on the devices over the network.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing user logon and state-less authentication are described in a distributed processing environment. Upon an attempted access by a user to an online resource, transaction, or record, a logon component asks the user to supply a logon ID and a password. The logon component verifies the provided information, and upon successful identification, a security context is constructed from information relevant to the user. The security context is sent to the user and is presented to the system each time the user attempts to invoke a new resource, such as a program object, transaction, record, or certified printer avoiding the need for repeated logon processing.

Abstract: Improved method, data structure and computer readable medium for searching for digital information files. Files referenced by URLs may be quickly located by finding a minimum unique prefix for the desired URL, breaking the prefix into substrings, and traversing a trie data structure to find indices to another trie data structure that will yield the physical location of the stored digital information file. A node data structure may be used to construct the trie data structures, and may be compressed to allow the tries to occupy less memory, thus allowing the tries to be maintained in memory and less access to storage devices. The result is faster retrieval times for digital information files.

Abstract: The select list for the query is thus constructed such that it produces a result set having a predefined structure. Columns representing identifier properties of an entity are added to the select list. If the entity is an inheritance entity or a collection, then entities from a least derived entity to all descendants are identified and columns representing their identifiers are added to the select list and columns representing non-inherited properties for those entities are added. If the entity is not an inheritance entity or a collection, then columns representing properties of the entity are added to the select list.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and a system for operating state machines concurrently in a computing system. One or more state machine families are generated. Each family comprises one master state machine type for receiving service requests from outside its family and for forwarding the received service requests for servicing, and one or more slave state machine types for receiving and servicing the forwarded service requests. A thread pool is allocated to one or more state machine families. Each thread pool is specific to one state machine family and comprises one or more threads for executing the master instance and slave instances of the corresponding state machine family. State machine instances of one or more generated state machine families are assigned to corresponding threads of the allocated thread pools for execution.

Abstract: Example embodiments provide for preserving memory resources by selecting property values to be assigned time-date information used in resolving conflicts between sync values. The property values may be selected based on the available resources of a remote device, e.g., when the time-date information is to be stored in a field of limited space. Further, the property values may be selected based on historical information, such as the most recently or frequently modified values. Other example embodiments also provide for storing an upper and/or lower boundary of time-date information for the remaining property values not selected. For example, the most recently modified property time-date value may be used for the upper boundary and the oldest modified time-date value may be used for the lower boundary.

Abstract: In performing memory management, an upgrade client of a host device identifies and reserves memory blocks large enough to accommodate new software components by performing sequential searches of first and second memory areas. The new software components are updated versions of components of original software files. When the new component size exceeds that of available blocks of the first and second memory areas, the upgrade client rewrites the first memory area to eliminate unused memory blocks, reapportions the first and second memory areas, writes the new component to the second memory area, and updates a vector table. To access host device software components, the upgrade client receives a function call from the main program of the host device including identification information of corresponding software files, reads a start address of the corresponding software files from the vector table, and generates a call for the corresponding software files.

Abstract: A data processing system is provided for storing and managing multiple data entries. The data processing system employs a data structure which allows the storage and management of a vast number of interrelated data entries the interrelations of which change over time. The data structure reflects such changing interrelations over time and allows the querying and extracting of data entries on the basis of their interrelations as they were or are defined at any desired point in time.

Abstract: A database system and method allows a user to write program code in a high-level programming language that implements a class that defines the structure of a user-defined type and methods that can be invoked on instances of the type. The class is then registered with the database system, which enforces a specific contract for user-defined types against the class. The contract comprises the following requirements. First, the class must specify one of a plurality of different formats for persisting instances of the user-defined type in a database store. Second, the class must be capable of returning a null value for the user-defined type. Third, the class must provide a method for converting the user-defined type to another type. Once these requirements are satisfied, the database system enables instances of the user-defined type to be created. A user-defined type can be used in all contexts where any other built-in type can be used.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mechanism and method for object linking. According to an aspect of one embodiment of the invention, name linking information is co-located with the storage object, rather than being stored only at a computer node. By maintaining name liking information with a storage object, that name linking information can still be used to correctly associate an alternate name with that storage object, regardless of configuration changes that move or delete storage objects in the system and regardless of any changes to internal identifiers for that storage object.

Abstract: A method for generating a file object identifier. A computer allocates memory to store the identifier. The disk volume holding the file object, the disk block holding the file object, and the value of the offset within the disk block holding the file object are stored in the allocated memory. In one embodiment, the file object is a file, a directory, or a symbolic link. In another embodiment, the memory allocated is 32 bits. In yet another embodiment, the disk volume value is a 4-bit value. In still another embodiment, the disk block value is a 23-bit value. In another embodiment, the block offset value is a 5-bit value. In another embodiment, the offset within the disk block is a multiple of 128 byte increments. In one embodiment, the generated file object identifier is a PORTABLE OPERATING SYSTEM INTERFACE (POSIX) file serial number.

Abstract: Method and system for querying a collection of Unstructured or semi-structured documents to identify presence of, and provide context and/or content for, keywords and/or keyphrases. The documents are analyzed and assigned a node structure, including an ordered sequence of mutually exclusive node segments or strings. Each node has an associated set of at least four, five or six attributes with node information and can represent a format marker or text, with the last node in any node segment usually being a text node. A keyword (or keyphrase) is specified, and the last node in each node segment is searched for a match with the keyword. When a match is found at a query node, or at a node determined with reference to a query node, the system displays the context and/or the content of the query node.

Abstract: The invention is embodied in a method for enabling improved access to data stored in a log of a computer memory system, wherein the computer memory system has multiple copies of said log, i.e., a primary log and a secondary log. Each log stores data transactions with a database system stored on the computer memory system. The method initially responds to a process request for access to a log, by determining a parameter indicative of demand for access to one of the copies of the log. If the parameter has reached a threshold value, accessing processes are thereafter distributed between the primary and secondary copies of the log so as to balance the work dispatched to the respective log copies. The invention is implemented by a computer system and may also be incorporated into a memory media device such as a magnetic disk.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for maintaining an organized and automated archiving and retrieval system including a personal bibliography of original documents or other original real objects as well as an electronic archive containing copies of such original real objects with guaranteed access. Essentially this is done by establishing a machine and/or human readable “unique identifier” (UID) distributed with each original real object, a so-called personal archive allowing a person (or a group of persons) to maintain a personal bibliography, a managed storage containing electronic copies of the distributed original real objects, and means for a controlled, but guaranteed access to the stored electronic copies.